BREAKING: NCDC Identifies Two Suspected Ebola Cases in North-East

October 31, 2026 Quadri Olaitan

The two individuals have been isolated as health authorities conduct contact tracing and laboratory investigations to determine their infection status

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has identified two suspected cases of Ebola disease in the North-East, raising fresh concerns as the country strengthens its response to the ongoing outbreak.

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The agency disclosed this on Saturday in an update shared on its official social media platforms, stating that both individuals had been isolated while contact identification, listing and laboratory investigations were ongoing.

However, the NCDC cautioned that the individuals had not been confirmed to have Ebola, noting that their infection status would be determined by laboratory results.

The development comes less than two weeks after Nigeria confirmed its first case of Ebola disease in the current outbreak, involving the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

On October 20, the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed that a 42-year-old woman who travelled from Uganda through Addis Ababa to Abuja had tested positive for the disease.

The patient reportedly developed symptoms on October 7, four days after arriving in Nigeria, and initially sought medical attention at a private health facility in Abuja before her infection was confirmed.

Following the diagnosis, the Federal Government activated its national incident management system, while health authorities commenced contact tracing and strengthened infection prevention and control measures.

The NCDC initially identified 53 contacts linked to the confirmed patient, including healthcare workers, domestic staff and her spouse.

The patient was subsequently medically evacuated to Switzerland on October 26 for further treatment, while her husband, identified as a close contact, was also placed in isolation at a hospital in Zurich.

By October 29, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control had reported that Nigeria identified 62 contacts linked to the confirmed infection.

Nigeria’s outbreak is part of a wider regional health emergency involving the Bundibugyo virus, following an outbreak declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in May 2026.

The WHO said Nigeria became the fifth country to detect the virus since the regional outbreak was declared, while Kenya has also reported infections linked to the same outbreak.

Meanwhile, the NCDC has urged Nigerians to maintain proper hand hygiene, practise enhanced sanitation and comply with public health guidance as investigations into the two newly identified suspected cases continue.